Make Ahead

PB&J Puddin'

by:
June 26, 2024
4.5
6 Ratings
PB&J Puddin'
Photo by Elvin Abril
  • Prep time 8 hours 30 minutes
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

Before my early twenties, I’d never experienced a proper banana pudding. That changed one sunny summer day in Manhattan’s West Village, outside Magnolia Bakery. A line snaked around the block, everyone clutching cups of what I soon discovered was life-changing banana pudding. How had I lived so long without this? My PB&J Puddin’ is a tribute to that revelation, using Magnolia's classic pudding base but with a twist inspired by my childhood love: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I always preferred strawberry jelly (or jam—preserves were a later discovery), so macerated strawberries in strawberry preserves create an intense berry burst. Peanut butter sandwich cookies, ideally Nutter Butters, transform into perfect little peanut butter cakes overnight. This recipe is endlessly adaptable and works with any fruit-and-cookie combo while keeping the same delicious pudding foundation. —César Pérez

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
PB&J Puddin'
Ingredients
  • 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 ½ cups ice cold water
  • 1 (3.4-ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding
  • 3 cups cold heavy cream
  • 2 (16-ounce) package peanut butter sandwich cookies (such as Nutter Butter)
  • 2 pounds strawberries, rinsed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
  • ½ cups strawberry preserves
  • ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ½ lemon, zest and juice
Directions
  1. In a bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, strawberry preserves, lemon juice & zest, and salt. Gently toss to coat. Set aside to macerate until juicy, about 30 minutes.
  2. Whisk together condensed milk and water in a stand mixer until blended. Increase speed to medium and mix until combined. Add pudding mix and beat until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour.
  3. Whip heavy cream in the stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over whip. Gently fold in the chilled pudding mixture until no streaks remain.
  4. In a 9x13-inch dish, create three layers, starting with a layer of pudding mixture, followed by whole peanut butter cookies, and finishing with a layer of the macerated strawberries (along with some of their juices). Repeat these layers twice more. Top the final layer of strawberries with the remaining whipped cream.
  5. Cover the PB&J puddin’ and refrigerate for 8 hours, or until the cookies are softened. Garnish with a single final cookie on top and enjoy!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Mike Horn
    Mike Horn
  • César Pérez
    César Pérez
  • skyewillow
    skyewillow
  • Lauren D
    Lauren D
César Pérez

Recipe by: César Pérez

Recipe Developer & Food52 Test Kitchen Content Creator

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6 Reviews

Mike H.
Mike H. July 7, 2024
As others have said, a one-pound box of cookies only made around a layer and a half in my 9" x 13" pan. Maybe César used a price-club sized box? The recipe does not mention lemon juice or zest and it says to start with a cookie layer (The video starts with the creme, which makes sense since it helps soften the cookie bottoms.) Despite all these errors, it tasted fantastic!
 
César P.
César P. July 7, 2024
Thank you for letting me know! I made the necessary adjustments in the written recipe. Thank you for making it and sorry for the confusion!
 
skyewillow
skyewillow July 4, 2024
So I just made this recipe, and it looks Amazing! Unfortunately, I think the amount of cookies needed for the recipe is drastically underestimated. Probably need 2 1/2 - 3 packages of cookies to make 3 complete layers. I did the best I could with one package. It’ll still be good, but would be better with more cookies.

Either way, it’s a great idea, and I’m a big fan of César and his videos!
 
César P.
César P. July 4, 2024
I’m so happy you’re making it but I’m sorry to hear it’s short on cookies! I developed this recipe using a 9x13 pan and just needed one box. Any chance your pan may be a bit bigger?
 
Lauren D.
Lauren D. July 4, 2024
You’re right, there’s a couple discrepancies between the recipe post and video. I added the lemon juice and zest that was recommended in the video and fortunately, I grabbed an extra pack of cookies. I ended up using two full family-size packages. Looking forward to trying this, though!
 
César P.
César P. July 7, 2024
Sorry about that! I made the adjustments in the written recipe. I hope it turned out good!